Since she was a child, Lucinda has been haunted by rabid dogs, suicidal crows, and the ghost of a woman in white. All are omens signaling someone’s imminent demise—except Lucinda’s friends and family are still breathing.

The omens follow her to Ireland and the quiet university in her father’s hometown, increasing in strength and frequency once she meets Damien Reed. A handsome third year student, Damien thrusts himself into Lucinda’s life almost immediately and caresses away the unsavory reputation that shadows him.

It’s not until the ghost sinks her nails into Damien that he reveals his secret: the death omens are for him.

They’re the manifestations of a curse that claims the life of the eldest Reed son every generation. Damien’s time is nearly up. If Lucinda is to save him, she must solve the mystery of her family curse, and lay a spirit’s rage to rest.

A dark romance for fans of Diane Setterfield and the TV show Supernatural, The Longing and the Lack is a Gothic story for the modern age.

I received a copy of The Longing and the Lack from Xpresso Book Tours for an honest review. Everything I say is my opinion. No compensation was made.

The first thing that grabbed me was the cover. I’m a sucker for a beautiful cover and just look at it! It’s downright gorgeous. I just want to put it out there that the cover screams gothic with an edge. Very nice.

That said, I am torn with the book, to be honest. On one hand, I am eating up the almost gothic story prose, but, on the other hand, I am trying to understand Lucinda Hightower.

Even though this is a first book in her story, she is a minor character in another book. You are given enough information about those books to get an idea on what she is like background wise. This can be good, but I did find myself wondering if I was missing something important in her personal narrative.

Because of that, Lucinda was hard to grasp as a main character. What I did like was her determination for the truth and her ease in relationships. There was no clear sexuality about her and that was refreshing.

The writing is quick to get into and has that dark gothic feel without feeling foreign. I actually liked this book. I only wish I read the books where Lucinda was a minor character first. I feel I would have understood her character more.

Author Bio:

C.M. Spivey is a speculative fiction writer, author of high fantasy FROM UNDER THE MOUNTAIN and the paranormal series, “The Unliving”. His enduring love of fantasy started young. Now, he explores the rules and ramifications of magic in his own works—and as a trans, panromantic asexual, he’s committed to queering his favorite genres. In his spare time, he plans his next tattoo (there will always be a next tattoo) and watches too much Netflix. Anything left over is devoted to his tireless quest to make America read more. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his darling husband Matt and adorable dog Jay.